Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku expects ‘more respect’ for his goalscoring talents
The striker scored and set up United's goals in Sunday's 2-1 win over Chelsea
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Your support makes all the difference.Romelu Lukaku has claimed that he deserves more respect for his goalscoring talents, but he does not expect to gain such recognition until Manchester United begin winning regularly.
The Belgian scored and set-up the goals that saw United beat top-four rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday, in what many have hailed as his best performance in a red shirt since joining from Everton last summer.
Lukaku has struggled at times this season following his £75m move from Goodison Park and endured a barren spell during the winter, but his equaliser to cancel out Willian's opener this weekend was his 22nd goal of the campaign so far.
The strike was also the 24-year-old’s first in United’s colours against a ‘top six’ club, a record that led some to accuse him of being a ‘flat-track bully’, but Lukaku believes he has shown that he live up to expectations.
“I've been in the game for so long. I started playing when I was 16. Year in, year out, people expect 20 goals from me. I've been doing it for 10 years straight so I think I've proved myself,” he said.
“You expect a bit more respect but it's the situation we're in. I don't listen to [the criticism]. I just want to improve and show the people what I can do on the pitch.”
Lukaku added: “That's the situation around me. I just need to keep working hard. I think I have got a nice record. I've scored a lot this season and I just want to keep going.
“I know that I can improve, and I want to improve and really work hard. I want to win trophies. We are still in the fight in two competitions. It's not going to be easy but it's a nice challenge.”
When asked what he must to do to receive the respect he believes he deserves, Lukaku said: “If I win. I want to win. As long as I win and I lead my team to winning, that's when I will be really satisfied.
“As a football player, I don't play for the individual. I think a lot of big players that we recognise today in the game are players who have won something and I want to be part of them.”
Lukaku came close to joining Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge last summer but plumped for Old Trafford instead after United and Jose Mourinho entered the race for his signature and has no regrets over his decision.
“When I make a choice it's with my head and my heart. I made the right choice for me,” he said. “As you can see, I'm in a good situation. I'm with a manager and players who push me every day. The challenge is there to win and it's something that I wanted.
“I'm 24 and I think I have a lot of years ahead of me to improve before my prime so I'm never satisfied. I always want to improve and get better and it's a nice challenge.”
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